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Showdown in the High Sierras!

Plot:

An ex-union soldier is hired to transport gold from a mining community through dangerous territory. But what he doesn't realize is that his partner and old friend is plotting to double-cross him. Full summary » | Add synopsis »

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Did You Know?

Trivia:

Joel McCrea was originally cast as Westrum and Randolph Scott was Judd. But early in the production each actor went to the producer on his own, dissatisfied and ready to quit, so the roles were reversed.See more »

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: (at around 14 mins) In the restaurant fight, the wall moves when one of the fighters bounces off of it.See more »

Quotes:

Gil Westrum:[with sarcasm] Dandy pair of boots you got there. Steve Judd:Juan Fernandez made those boots for me in San Antone - special order. I had a hell of a time getting him to put that hole in there. Fine craftsman, Juan, but he never did understand the principle of ventilation. Gil Westrum:I remember Juan - always felt the boot should cover the foot.See more »

Sam Peckinpah's second feature film is today standing up as a must see
and must own for those interested in the Western genre.

The film sees ageing lawman Steve Judd land a job of escorting a gold
shipment safely to a bank in Hornitos. After running into old friend,
and fellow aged lawman Gil Westrun, he hires both he and his young
sparky sidekick Heck Longtree to hopefully see the job through to a
successful conclusion. Yet Gil has other ideas, for where Steve is
upstanding and adhering to the values he has lived his life by, Gil
sees this as one last chance to actually get a big payday. The journey
takes a further twist as the three men meet and then save Elsa Knudsen
from a brutal marriage, it's an incident that puts them all on a
collision course with the Hammond brothers.

What we have here is Sam Peckinpah's first film dealing with men who
have outlived their time. We witness some emotionally poignant stuff as
the two main protagonists know that they have aged beyond their world,
yet as alike as they are, they have different ideals in how to deal
with the advent of time. The masterstroke here is the casting of genre
legends Joel McRea & Randolph Scott as Steve & Gil respectively. It's
evident from the off that both men are identifying with their
characters, with both men hitting top emotional form to fully realise
the thematic heart of the story. Mariette Hartley makes her film debut
as Elsa, and she fits in nicely with the quality on show behind and in
front of the camera. Lucien Ballard's cinematography is gorgeous as the
various California locations envelope the protagonists in a sort of
elegiac way, and Peckinpah directs with his heart as well as his head.

Bookended by two heart-achingly super sequences, of which the finale
has rightly passed into Western genre legend, this really is a strong
and beautiful film. One that shows a truly great director was at work.
For here he was left alone, and the final result is a quality Western
beating far more than just a cowboy heart. The supporting cast is
strong, notably Edgar Buchanan, L.Q. Jones & John Anderson. While the
undervalued George Bassman provides a fittingly tonal music score. If
there is a criticism, it's that Peckinpah doesn't let the younger
characters breath, but given the film's core focus on aged men in an
aged passing era: well it's easily forgiven. A precursor to The Wild
Bunch for sure, but while the theme is the same for both film's, this
one impacts in a very different way. Highly recommended, not just for
the Oater crowd, but for fans of classic cinema too. 9/10

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